The island province of Palawan is world-renowned for its pristine landscapes and seascapes. It earned top honors in 2007 from National Geographic Traveler as the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia. Palawan also earned distinction as a top-ranked island province for sustainable development as rated by NG's Center for Sustainable Destinations.
Sustainability is vitally important in the pearl farming industry. This region is home to the illustrious Golden Sea Pearl, an exquisitely rare blend of pearls that take many years of proper care and environmental management to produce. Naturally, the pearl farm we visited was isolated and carefully controlled. To access it, we flew to a separate island with a dirt and rock runway, rode an all-terrain vehicle (called a jeepni) to a local dock and sailed downriver to arrive there.
Here we are at the Jewellmer South Pacific Golden Pearl Farm.
In this next photo, take a look at the bulletin board behind the staff. Do you see all those colored tabs and lines and grids?
The board gives the farm technicians detailed information about the oysters under their care including location, feeding schedule, maintenance, and readiness of yield. Harvesting Golden Sea pearls takes between five and seven years of constant work. There is no exaggeration meant when we learned that the farm workers literally "baby" their oysters from birth to maturity.
The technicians refer to the gentle extraction of a golden pearl and reinsertion of a new nucleus as surgery. The proof's right there in the equipment!
Of the 15,000 species of plankton that serve as a primary food source for oysters, the Golden Sea oysters consume only nine of them. Oysters must be fed from a specific species during each portion of the life cycle to increase the chances of yielding a solid specimen. Dr. Jacques Brenellec examines plankton under intense scrutiny to prepare for feeding.
Babying the oysters proves a necessity not only because of the rarity of creating a prized Golden Pearl, but also because these oysters are incredibly sensitive to environmental fluctuations. These oysters require an optimum sea water temperature range, steady diet, minimized predation, and significant management. For instance, global warming increases the average sea temperature. Even a change in a few degrees results in a much smaller opportunity window of successful pearl cultivation. With the odds of producing a high-quality golden pearl already trepidaciously low, even the slightest quirks can ruin many years of hard work!
The farm technicians also share land with indigenous groups like the Bandjitos. Unfortunately, two methods used to produce quick results in harvesting food and crops have caused quite a bit of damage to the environment.
The first destructive technique is slash-and-burn farming in which tribes will cut down an acre of rainforest, let it dry, and then set it ablaze. The intent is to release nutrient material (in the form of nitrogen, carbon, and ash) back to the soil. The chances of replenishment are slim, but the runoff damage to the oysters are almost guaranteed. Pollution threatens the oysters. Runoff upsets the cleanliness and pH balance of the water which damages the oysters and threatens pearl creation. Thus, researchers have ventured out to visit the tribespeople and teach them more sustainable farming techniques. Oysters also serve as a food source, so the researchers have also worked together to control extraction and to promote maximum hatchery methods to keep the species thriving.
The second destructive technique involves bombing and cyanide fishing. While the techniques are a good way to score a lot of fish in a short time period, the sea environment sustains a lot of damage. Bombing is incredibly hazardous for the underwater coral reefs, which absorb excess carbon dioxide from the water and helps balance its pH and protects marine life. Once destroyed, it takes hundreds of years for coral to regenerate; and in that time, the remaining sealife may be decimated beyond repair. While the pearl farmers try to teach more responsible practices, unfortunately they are limited by the ability of Philippine police and government to ban the practices. With over 7,000 islands to patrol, even if bans were set into place, they would be difficult to enforce.
In the end, it's all well worth it as golden pearls continue to be heralded as incredibly rare, valuable, and beautiful bounties of the sea.
And so we bid our friends at the Jeweller Farm farewell as we fly northward to Japan.
Japan's Akoya pearl market share has dropped significantly over the past few years, but its pearl capital -- Mikimoto Island -- is still a major player in the industry.
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